“Cloud computing” services provide shared resources, software, and information to computers and other devices upon request or on demand. Cloud computing typically involves the over-the-Internet provision of dynamically-scalable and often virtualized resources. Technological details can be abstracted from end-users, who no longer have need for expertise in, or control over, the technology infrastructure “in the cloud” that supports them. In cloud computing environments, software applications can be accessible over the Internet rather than installed locally on personal or in-house computer systems. Some of the applications or on-demand services provided to end-users can include the ability for a user to create, view, modify, store and share documents and other files.
Data management in multi-tenant architectures has presented unique challenges, leading to the development of master data management (MDM) technologies designed to provide a centralized repository of master data, with data governance processes implemented through a combination of human and system workflow. Some MDM technologies are application-agnostic, meaning that any type of master data can be maintained in the repository. One of the fundamental challenges with MDM, however, is that as soon as data is duplicated and moved, at least one of the copies is subject to time-influenced decay. This negatively impacts the quality of data, and introduces technical debt, as it requires both human and system-level resources to maintain the duplication status. This problem occurs regardless of whether a uni-tenant or multi-tenant architecture is utilized.